Welcome back, Teachers

Teacher Ria at The Accidental Teacher wrote a post on the benefits of becoming a teacher.  I thought I'd add to her list a bit, since today is, generally, the first day of school.  Some schools started last week, but you'll know so much more schools are starting today from the difference in traffic and the difficulty of catching a jeep that isn't full.


Teachers, let's remind ourselves, as we should at the beginning of each school year, of all that is great about being a teacher.

1. Watching the students' faces light up when they get what the topic is about.
2. The accomplishments! Their accomplishments are yours as well.
3. Knowing that you had a lot to do with the positive change in your student, even if most of the time you will not get the credit.
4. You have a good excuse to buy more nice notebooks and pens.  
5. You get to test all the games and toys you will be using for teaching.
6. Getting into that creative groove as you make handmade signs, badges, labels for your classroom
7. Planning and going on field trips, and doing recon (or ocular inspections) before the class takes the trip. 
8. Receiving portraits of yourself, done by your students (this is especially true for art teachers);  and having a nice, warm chuckle as you look at yourself in clothes and accessories that you've never actually worn before. 
9. Flattering messages from parents, with anecdotes of their kids (your students) doing something at home - something you taught them.
10. Despite the countless movies and books about teachers, you know that the only people who'll really get what it's like to be one are other teachers themselves.
11. You make at least one difference a day, 5 days a week, from June to March.  Year-round if you teach in the summer also.  
12. Teachers are regarded as social and economic equals of doctors and lawyers. In Finland, anyway (Coyle, D. The Talent Code).  But, hey, if it can happen there, it can happen here.
13. Everyone else gets older, and you never do.

I'll leave it at 13, for now; as there are a few lessons yet to be planned.
There will be no "not-great" things about teaching.  We all know what they are, and we will teach in spite of them, so no point in making that list.

Have a good year!

The Unexpected

We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen.

-Paulo Coelho

So I spent the last vacation Saturday at a place called Backdoor Blues.  Good live music, good company, good food.  I used to spend one day a week at such places just to relax.  The kind of chilling-out that doesn't involve noisy conversation, where most of the time I stare into space while the music plays.

photo from talk.philmusic.com

Last night was going to be one of those nights, but I ended up talking to a veterinarian, whose clinic is next to a doggy day care.  The conversation started with us talking about behavior modification and then animal psyches, and then the doggy day care; and ended with him saying, "You should bring your students there..." and then started up again with, "Hey, I work with one of the Mind Museum consultants - he's in animal (or did he say mammal?) conservation, I'll send him over..."


When the first set ended, one of the guitarists joined us and talked about an exhibit he just set up for Filipinas Heritage Library, that runs until September.  It's set up for school tours... 

You can imagine what went on in my resting head after that: visions of field trips, and exhibit tours, and passionate guest lecturers who have no other motive but to advocate life outside malls and computer games. There were no mention of x-deals or marketing opportunities - just how great it would be to see, hear, meet, and experience.


In less than an hour, 3 different learning possibilities were discussed, and the ball is rolling as we speak. I've spent longer hours, days even, looking through the internet and talking to "professionals" looking for learning opportunities; but sometimes, one just needs to sit back and relax.


Somebody brought in a cake to celebrate the bar owner's birthday, who cut it up and gave everyone a big slice with lots of icing.  And we all had cake and ate it, too.

Prep Time

The French have a term, mise en place (pronounced MEEZ ahn plahs), which refers to "having all the ingredients necessary for a dish prepared and ready to combine up to the point of cooking." (Epicurious.com)  Ingredients are sliced, diced, clarified, put in little containers so the chef can cook efficiently and the food good and ready to serve in a matter of minutes.


Teachers, like chefs, have our own mise en place.  We call it "prep" - maybe "planning" in more traditional schools - and it is essential to every lesson.  Blended  teaching practitioners slice, dice, and clarify information from several sources.  The difference, I suppose, is that even when the learning ingredients have been mise-en-placed (I'm not sure if mise en place is a verb, but for now, I will use use it as such), the meal will turn out different every time because of those who digest it.  


Chefs need not take into account the age, background, and psyche of their diners.  Teachers always do.


And so we water the ingredients down, if we must; and add as much flavor and spices (in the form of visuals, games, and multi-sensory activities) to satisfy the taste of the learner so much that they will always remember what they digested, and keep asking for more.  

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We are currently at the mise en place stage of the coming school year.  Resource speakers have been invited, the room has been rearranged, schedules set, and materials prepped.


Bon Apetit!